The Princeton Review released rankings last August showing that AU was the most politically active school in the nation. After the rankings were released, students and professors claimed it was evidence the university was making good use of D.C.'s resources, The Eagle previously reported. This month, students will return to a campus and city that continue to boast a wide variety of options for political involvement. While there is certainly not enough room to fit every internship or volunteer opportunity into this issue of The Eagle, here is a basic guide to the available options.
The 2008 presidential campaign
The 2008 presidential campaign season has already been active for several months and will continue to become increasingly busy in the run-up to the primary elections in January. While much of the action is currently situated in states with the earliest primaries, some presidential candidates do currently have offices in the D.C. area. All of the candidates listed have volunteer and internship information on their Web sites.
Democratic candidates * Sen. Joe Biden, Del. (http://www.joebiden.com) * Sen. Hillary Clinton, N.Y. (http://www.hillaryclinton.com) * Sen. Chris Dodd, Conn. (http://www.chrisdodd.com) * Former Sen. Mike Gravel, Alaska (http://www.gravel2008.us)
Republican candidates * Sen. Sam Brownback, Kan. (http://www.brownback.com) * Sen. John McCain, Ariz. (http://www.johnmccain.com) * Rep. Ron Paul, Texas (http://www.ronpaul2008.com) * Rep. Tom Tancredo, Colo. (http://www.teamtancredo.com) * Former Gov. Tommy Thompson, Wis. (http://www.tommy2008.com)
Internships in the Senate and House of Representatives
All internships in the Senate and House of Representatives are handled by the office of each individual representative or senator. To look for a particular senator's Web site, go to www.senate.gov. To look for a particular representative's Web site, go to www.house.gov.
Other internships/volunteer opportunities
AU's Career Center (http://www.american.edu/careercenter/index.html) is a good resource for finding additional political internship or job possibilities, especially if you're unsure about what kind of internship you'd like to pursue.
Additionally, many national political groups will at least have branch offices, if not their national headquarters, in the D.C. area. These groups often have volunteer opportunities available and can be great ways to get involved in the political process, especially if you're particularly interested in one political issue. Since there are a wide variety of political groups to choose from, The Eagle won't list any particular organization here. Do a little research and you will get a good idea of what's out there.
Political involvement on campus
Since the Princeton Review ranks AU as the most politically active school in the nation, it isn't surprising that a number of political groups exist on campus. Information on all campus organizations can be found at http://salinkau.com, and many also have group pages on Facebook. The following political groups have separate Web sites:
* College Democrats (http://www.aucollegedemocrats.org) * College Libertarians (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aulibertarians) * College Republicans (http://www.aurepublicans.com) * Community Action and Social Justice Coalition (http://aucasj.org) * Darfur Action (http://www.darfuraction.com) * National Conference on Organized Resistance (http://www.organizedresistance.org) * Remove Coca Cola from AU (http://removecocacola.blogspot.com) * The Roosevelt Institution (http://rooseveltinstitution.org/american) * Student Campaign for Burma (http://www.studentcampaignforburma.org) * Student Government (http://ausg.org) * Students for Life (http://www.austudentsforlife.com) * Trade Justice (http://groups.google.com/group/autradejustice)
